


Lake-town

by Ninquetolliel (Witty_Whit)



Series: 10 Spouses [5]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works, The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: BAMF Nori, Children, Children Love Bilbo, Children Love Nori, Fluff, Good Parent Bard, Laketown, M/M, Nori is a Good Big Brother, Ori Is A Sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 12:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3410267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witty_Whit/pseuds/Ninquetolliel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nori explores Lake-town and makes friends, while managing to mind his manners and not cause much trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lake-town

**Author's Note:**

> Outtake from [Chapter 14: The Traveling](http://archiveofourown.org/works/883683/chapters/1775935).

Nori liked Lake-town. It was full of twisting routes, shadowed corners, and plenty of sensible-willing-to-look-the-other-way people. As a dwarf who occasionally went outside the boundaries of the law, he could see himself doing well here. 

The other dwarves were gathering supplies or caring for sick Mr. Bilbo. But Nori thought he would be most useful getting the lowdown on who were hopefully to be their neighbors. Who knows what sort of interesting items he could here?

Fish, it turned out. Mostly fish.

These people were not wealthy, far from it. Their Master was a despicable man, full of the worst sort of greed. The people were hungry and poor and desperate. It had everything a poverty-stricken place needed for a thriving black market.

Now, Nori just had to find it.

Nori wasn’t used to being exotic. No matter how good he was at slipping into the shadows, these people were just as good. People stared at him wherever he went. So he practiced Dori and Mr. Baggins’s manners and bowed and smiled and asked which way their inn was for he’d gotten turned around.

So until these men got bored of dwarves, which would take far too long, Nori was just going to have to try a different approach. He needed a guide for that - someone who knew their way around Lake-town and wouldn’t cause suspicion.

So Nori waited to see what or who would present themselves. He sat on a wooden piling on the edge of dock, idly knotting a bit of yarn in a pattern Dori would roll his eyes at. A few fisherwomen stared at him and a few shifty-eyed men gave him a wide berth as they passed. Yet it was a slowly gathering crowd of shy children that grabbed his attention.

Now, Nori didn’t like to have it spread around, but he was uncommonly good with little ones. Even before Ori was born, little dwarves had always flocked to him. He thought it was his eyebrows - they were fascinating, after all.

Shining a bright grin their way, Nori said good morning as the children scuttled closer.

“Are you a dwarf?” piped a wee girl with her hair in messy braids.

“I am indeed,” said Nori, hopping off the piling to show that he was not much taller than them.

The children stared.

Finally, one was brave enough to whisper, “I like your hair.”

“Thank you, lovely lady; I like yours as well. My name’s Nori. What’s yours?” That was it - the dam burst and dozens of questions came pouring out of their mouths.

“Why do your eyebrows grow like that?”

“They just do.”

“Do you have a sword?”

“Can I touch it!?”

“How do you be so short?”

“I’m fairly tall for a dwarf.”

“Where’d ya come from? Me da says ya come from a hole in th’ ground.”

“I certainly do not!”

“Do you eat worms?”

“Only if I’m very, very hungry!”

(“Ewww!”)

“Are you married? My sister’s not married! Ya could marry her iffen ya want to!”

“Thank you for your kind offer.”

“Can I touch your hair?”

“Yes, but don’t pull.”

“Do you have any candy?”

“Yeah, do you have any candy!?”

Cries of “Candy! Candy!” filled the square, until a lanky boy a bit older than the rest, who had been hanging at the back of the crowd, started shushing the children. 

“Stop, Stig; you’re bumping everyone. Gerda, don’t climb the dwarf; he isn’t a tree. Ouch! Inga, stop elbowing everyone. He doesn’t have any candy, and you’ll scare him away.” It was the idea that Nori might leave more so than the boy trying to stop the riot that quieted the children.

“Please don’t leave, Mr. Dwarf,” cried the littlest girl with tears brimming in her wide eyes.

“Well, I’ll have to leave someday soon, but not today,” said Nori, scooping the wee child up in arms and sitting back up on the piling. The mob of children followed his example and sat on the dock all around him.

“Thank you, lad,” said Nori, looking at the older boy. The boy nodded, settling back against the wall of hut nearby. “What’s your name, boyo?”

“Bain,” the boy answered, nodding ack. His eyes were sharp and watchful. Clearly that boy was used to trouble and avoiding it and thus was exactly the sort of person that Nori needed.

But right now, there were children to entertain. The little girl in Nori’s arms, tugged his beard gently, and demanded, “Story please!”

“All right,” said Nori with a chuckle. “Story time it is!” As one the children scooted forward, vying for the best spot. When they settled, Nori began a funny tale about a dwarf he knew (not him!) who had to hide in a dirty laundry after running from an angry guard (not Dwalin!) after he’d stole a couple of tiny, little jewels. The children were enraptured and hung on to his every word.

* * *

As the sun started to set, mothers came to collect their young ones until it was just Nori and Bain. The boy smiled and said, “I’d best go too, Mr. Dwarf. Can you find your way back to your friends?”

“Call me Nori, laddie. And yes, I’m sure I can find my way back, but I bet you know a shortcut or two.”

The boy’s chest puffed out. “I know all the shortcuts! I can get anywhere in Lake-town without being seen if I want to.” Nori grinned. “Come on,” continued Bain, “I’ll show you a quicker way.”

The boy was indeed slippery. He led Nori deftly down narrow alleyways, over fences, and through more twists and turns than anyone other than Nori would have been able to count. Finally they arrived back at the inn where the Company was staying. Bain turned to Nori and bowed, “There you are, Mr. Nori. Was that fast enough?”

“Quite, lad - I’m most impressed. You have my thanks.” Nori grinned at the boy whose cheeks were tinged with red from the compliments. “Would you mayhap be free tomorrow morn? My younger brother is fascinated with exploring other cultures. You could take us on a tour and show us all the interesting things.”

“That sounds grand,” Bain said with a delighted smile. “I’ll come by right after breakfast. Me da won’t mind a bit. I know all the best places to show you.”

Nori laughed and shook the boy’s hand. “Tomorrow then, Bain!”

* * *

The next morning an excited Ori and Nori waited for their young guide. Once Bain arrived Nori introduced him to Ori, and they began their tour right away. Bain was an excellent guide, and Ori was delighted with all the sights. The woodwork was so different from their own sturdy stone. Nori couldn’t put much stock in it, but he supposed it was necessary for life on a lake.

Nori could see himself faring well in a place like this. The people were shrewd and had little love of the law here. However, the gauntness of their purses was even more obvious in their faces. These were a hungry people. Nori decided that success in their quest would bring much greater benefit - not just to him, but to the men of Lake-town.

After Nori bought the three of them some sweets, Bain opened up a bit. He explained how his father (and no mention of a mother) had sent his two sisters, Sigrid and Tilda, to live with a distant family member. It was just for a little while, he swore.

Nori gathered from what was unsaid that there wasn’t enough food to feed them, and no money to buy more. Though Ori’s eyes welled with unshed tears, Bain only shrugged and said that they’d be back soon. Especially if the dwarves brought gold down from the mountain like the Master said.

Nori patted the boy on the back and said they surely would. (If all went very, very well.)

For luncheon, Nori made sure they went back to the inn and fed the boy, despite the boy’s protests that they should come to his house instead. Nori wasn’t about to take a morsel from the lad’s mouth. During their meal, Bain expressed interest in meeting their hobbit. So after they finished, Nori and Ori took the boy to visit Bilbo. Bilbo told stories of his home the lad and a horde of children that appeared seemingly from the woodwork.

When evening came, the children left once more, but Bain stayed longer again, until his father came.

“Thank you for watching my boy,” said Bain’s father, shaking Nori and Bilbo’s hands. Struck dumb for a moment, Nori only nodded. Bain’s father was a tall, grim, and most handsome fellow, decided Nori, who finally managed to grin charmingly up at the man. He wouldn’t mind figuring out what it would take make that grim man smile. 

Nori shook his head and listened as the man, Bard his name was, expressed doubt in Bilbo’s dragon-slaying abilities. Bilbo laughed somewhat nervously, and Bard wished them all luck, turning to leave.

Nori followed the father and son for a ways, saying goodbye to Bain and promising to come and visit him again. “Or you could visit me - in Erebor,” he said. “You’d better wait until we kill the dragon, though.”

Bard stopped, a glower on his face, as Bain ran ahead. “Make sure you do slay the best. My people have suffered enough from the follies of dwarves generations past. Make sure you do not bring more. Kill the dragon and do not bring it down upon our heads once again.”

Nori nodded, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. There was something about that stern man that made him feel all aflutter as Ori would say.

Unaware of Nori's inner turmoil, Bard nodded once and turned to follow after his son.

Nori stood still and silent for a moment before he shook his head and returned to the others. He needed a drink - to clear the worry and fear and the look of a grim-faced man out of his head. Maybe he needed three or four drinks instead.

**Author's Note:**

> HUMAN CHILDREN ARE ADORABLE.


End file.
